Buffalo Bills News - December 12, 2003

Fletcher's heart is soul of Buffalo D [5:17 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'This year, playing for a markedly improved defense, Fletcher won’t approach those gaudy tackle numbers, but he still has a team-leading 132 through 13 games.'

Sound of Miracle still echoes in Music City [5:15 AM]Nashville Tennessean reports:
'Bills Coach Gregg Williams was defensive coordinator for the Titans at the time of the controversial play (the Bills contended Wycheck threw a forward lateral). When he moved to Buffalo in 2001, he hung a painting of the play in his home. A gift from Titans Coach Jeff Fisher, it stayed there until a visit from some new Buffalo friends.'

McNair off crutches but doesn't practice [5:14 AM]Nashville Tennessean reports:
'''He's off the crutches so that's encouraging,'' Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said. ''He's hoping to play … We still have a long ways to go and he wants to play very badly.'''

Titans mix up signals vs. Bills [5:13 AM]Nashville Tennessean reports:
'Because the Bills may try to steal signs, Fisher said he could have as many as four people sending in defensive signals from the sideline at the same time, with only one providing the true call. Fisher said he expects the Bills to make similar adjustments on their defensive calls.'

Defense has changed since Williams [5:12 AM]Nashville City Paper reports:
'“I think if Gregg was here, you would have seen a lot of the same changes. What you’ve got to do is adjust,” Schwartz said. “You have to constantly evolve in this league. There’s things people try to take advantage of; there’s trends in the league, different things that offenses are doing and different things that you have to take away."'

Keys to the Game [5:11 AM]Nashville City Paper reports:
'Buffalo needs this game to keep its skimpy playoffs hopes on life support. The Titans need it for peace of mind in the wake of last week’s four-turnover disaster vs. Indianapolis. If the Titans can reverse their turnover tendencies of the past few weeks, they should rebound, though it won’t be easy as Gregg Williams knows them better than most. Prediction: Titans 21, Bills 20.'

December 11, 2003

Titans defense first against rush, last against pass [8:07 PM]AP reports:
'''You don't ever want to be in your position as far as the secondary to get looked at as being the worst in the league. You don't want to be the worst in anything. But take it for what it is. It's just a number,'' he said. ''All that matters to me is the wins.'''

Banged-up Bills offense finally showing some fight [8:06 PM]AP reports:
'''We didn't give up where I think a lot of people might have,'' said Gilbride, whose team prepares to play at Tennessee on Sunday. ''To me it's more of a reflection of character, confidence.'''

Bills add WR Bonner to practice squad [8:04 PM]AP reports:
'Bonner was an undrafted rookie free agent out of Texas A&M Commerce signed by Seattle before being released by the Seahawks prior to the start of this season.'

Third QB Travis Brown Says He Feels Great [4:13 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'"I kind of feel like I never left in some aspects, it's the same people, the same system, and the same routine from week-to-week so I feel like I'm right back in the swing of things," Brown said after Thursday's workout with the team.'

Bills Add Bonner To Practice Squad [12:09 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'Bonner takes the place of running back Nick Maddox, who was signed off the Bills practice squad to the Cleveland Browns 53-man roster.'

Fans waver on playoffs, Williams’ future [12:05 PM]Olean Times Herald reports:
'There’s an ever-so-subtle murmur that fans, adamant that coach Gregg Williams had to go as the Bills dropped four straight, think he should get another chance. After all, they reason, if the Bills win out, they would be 9-7 ... a game better than a year ago. The implication is that dismissing offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, and possibly line coach Pat Ruel might be enough. But that conclusion is flawed.'

Oh, Henry's running like a thoroughbred [8:56 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'He needs 300 yards in the final three games to surpass last season's total, which was fifth-best in team history. It won't be easy. Check out the run defense rankings for the Bills' final three opponents: Tennessee: No. 1; Miami: No. 3; New England: No. 4.'

Titans coach comes to Gregg Williams' defense [8:55 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Bills assistant coaches Jerry Gray, Kevin Gilbride, Les Steckel, Steve Jackson and Dan Neal all worked with Fisher in the Titans' organization. Fisher said the familiarity of the staffs is a factor. "You do have to remind yourself that there is some familiarity," he said. "Jerry did a great job while he was here and understands our offensive concepts, as did Gregg. . . . It's going to be interesting what approach all four coordinators take in this game. The key early is going to be our ability to adjust."'

Titans coach defends Williams [5:20 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'While Williams is 17-28 as Buffalo’s coach, Fisher was 19-26 his first 45 games after replacing Jack Pardee late in the 1994 season. Like Williams, Fisher lived through dire salary cap issues and even a relocation process from Houston to Memphis to Nashville.'

Tucker is right guard for Bills against Titans [5:19 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'“He’s played well,” said coach Gregg Williams. “The last few weeks he’s filled in very admirably. He’s smart, tough, he’s got some nasty about him, and last week he led our team in knockdowns.”'

Bills run with Henry despite his broken leg [5:18 AM]Nashville Tennessean reports:
'''For the most part, I've left that behind me and most people don't even really ask me about it anymore,'' Henry said. ''I think they feel good about what I'm doing.'''

Titans, McNair knew QB was injured at halftime [5:17 AM]Nashville Tennessean reports:
'''If I am able to play at 75-80 percent, and we make the decision to play, I'll play,'' said McNair, who has 45 consecutive starts. ''But if I don't it will be great for me to rest it and be ready for the next two games. ... I have a lot of confidence in Billy. If I don't play he can get the job done.'''

Crutches accompany McNair at practice [5:16 AM]Nashville City Paper reports:
'“Right now, it’s still sore. It’s still swollen,” McNair said of the ankle. “I’m just trying to work on it day in and day out. I’m going to try to get some of the soreness out of it.”'

Coaches show levity [5:15 AM]Nashville City Paper reports:
'“I’m not going to let him win just so he doesn’t get fired,” Fisher said with a smile. “We’ll still be friends – as long as I win.”'

Inside slant [5:14 AM]CBS Sportsline reports:
'The 25-year-old Henry, who is just 63 yards shy of becoming Buffalo's fourth all-time rusher, has said he can't envision a situation where both he and McGahee share the football in harmony. Henry thrives on work and he has assumed that either he or McGahee will be traded eventually. "We'll always listen but we're not going to be actively pursing something like that (with Travis)," Donahoe said. "Who's to say what's going to happen in the future, but we didn't take Willis with the intention of doing something with Travis."'

Strategy and personnel [5:13 AM]CBS Sportsline reports:
'Since allowing 343 yards in consecutive losses to Miami and Philadelphia early in the season, the Bills have yielded an average of just 79 yards rushing per game. The New York Jets got a full dose of Adams last Sunday when he finished with seven tackles, two behind the line of scrimmage, two sacks and a batted down pass. It was one of the few games where Adams was part of Buffalo's third-down package, and he responded like a kid in a candy store with the extra snaps.'

Notes, quotes, anecdotes [5:12 AM]CBS Sportsline reports:
'How realistic are Buffalo's chances of snagging a wild-card playoff berth? At 6-7, the Bills trail four teams for the two spots (Tennessee, 9-4; Denver, 8-5; Miami, 8-5; Cincinnati, 7-6). A final record of 9-7 or even 8-8 would put Buffalo in a tie-breaker race, but they need to win out and have the other clubs stumble a bit. Buffalo can take care of its own business with head-to-head games against Tennessee and Miami and it already owns a win over the Bengals. "We don't have a choice but to think we can," said DT Sam Adams when asked if the Bills can make the post-season. "Someone always gets in at 9-7, always. The people that are going to the playoffs, New England, Tennessee, we play Miami. As far as we're concerned, they have to go through us."'

Titans understand importance of Bills game [5:11 AM]TitansOnline.com reports:
'“They’re not number one for no reason,” Titans TE Frank Wycheck said. “You look across their defense and they’ve got Sam Adams and Pat Williams up front, we probably won’t play two better corners, the linebackers are great, and then they’ve got Lawyer Milloy at safety. They’re stacked. They’re loaded. We’ll really have to execute our offense and make big plays to be successful this week.”'

December 10, 2003

Bills Coach Gregg Williams Previews Tennessee [7:16 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'"I'm here as a Buffalo Bill. We went back there in the preseason game. It was a real hostile environment in the preseason game. That's a tough place to play. We're going to have to play well. All I'm focused on is this next week and the Buffalo Bills. Not the match ups with friends. Just the Buffalo Bills."'

Quarterback Drew Bledsoe Previews Tennessee [7:15 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'"Unfortunately for us, these road games that we go play, we always seem to catch some of the best teams in the league on their turf. It's a tremendous challenge if you're playing the Titans home or away. A neutral setting is going to be a big challenge. When you get down there and they have their crowd behind them it's one of the louder places in the league to play. It's a big challenge for us, no question. We're going to have to do a great job of communicating in spite of the crowd noise. We are going to have to play very physical with them. They have a very physical defense and a tremendous defensive line. They have a good line backing core with a kid that I used to baby-sit playing as their inside left linebacker, Peter Sirmon. You know you're getting old when you got a guy you used to baby-sit in his fourth year in the league. They have a couple good corners and their safety will come up and hit you. They are a very physical defense and we're going to have to match their physical style. We're going to have to continue to run the ball even though they are number one in the league against the rush. Then we need to make some big plays in the passing game. The teams that have beaten the Titans have made some big plays in the passing game."'

The Bills Injury Report Keeps Shrinking [7:11 PM]WGR-AM reports:
'Keith McKenzie, Sammy Morris and Mike Pucillo all practiced on Wednesday and are listed as questionable for Sunday in Tennessee. Trey Teague was rested on Wednesday while Dominique Stevenson went home sick.'